Junk food bandit caught

Police have arrested a teenager who used a machete to rob junk food, cash and cigarettes from two convenience stores.

David Robert Baker, 18, is charged with two counts of Robbery in the First Degree. He was booked into the Multnomah County Jail.

According to police, East Precinct officers arrested Baker around 12:45 p.m. Monday. A robbery detective viewed a surveillance video of one of the robberies Monday morning, then recognized the suspect waiting to get on a TriMet bus in the area of the robberies.

East Precinct officers responded to arrest Baker. He struggled with officers but was taken into custody. One officer received minor injuries during the struggle. Officers recovered a machete from Baker's pants.

Baker's second suspected robbery occurred just after midnight Monday. He is believed to have robbed the Plaid Pantry at 11010 Southeast Foster Road. During the robbery, Baker grabbed a soda, chocolate mini-donuts and beef jerky then threatened the clerk with a machete and demanded money and cigarettes. Baker then left on foot and was not located during a police search of the neighborhood.

The first robbery happened around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 6. East Precinct officers responded to the report of an armed robbery at B & C Foods, located at 12918 Southeast Foster Road.

Officers contacted the victim, who told them the suspect entered the market and picked up a frozen pizza, some candy and some pepperoni sticks. He threatened the victim with a machete before leaving the market without paying for the food.

Police did not find anyone matching the suspect's description at that time.